Out Spoken

And so, it has come to this. Twelve months after we first heard
the name "Monica Lewinsky," the President of the United States stands
impeached on grounds of perjury and obstruction of justice. In its
dying moments, a deeply polarized lame-duck 105th Congress was unable
to resist carrying out the bidding of the handmaidens of the
conservative right.

Let no-one mistake or be blind to the true motivation behind this
impeachment of the President. Despite their high-sounding rhetoric
and frequent references to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers,
on December 19, 1998 a cadre of right-wing, back-room political
schemers hijacked the democratic process to thwart the popular will
of the American people.

In doing so, the cabal headed by Tom Delay, Trent Lott and Bob
Barr, have finally - and ruthlessly - revealed their true intent: to
undo through intrigue and partisanship what they could not achieve
through the legitimacy of the ballot box. Those of this junta who are
members of the House of Representatives argue that they voted not to
remove the President, but simply to impeach him. It is the Senate -
in all its dignified and majestic glory - that makes the decision as
to whether William Jefferson Clinton should be sent packing from the
White House. So their argument goes. How subtle, how ingenious, how
condescending. They speak of representing us - and treat us as
fools!

But it is not just those leading this gross manipulation of the
democratic process who deserve our contempt. After all, we know how
Senator Trent Lott truly feels about gays and lesbians. We know how
Congressman Bob Barr - despite his weak denials - takes comfort in
speaking at organizations promoting white supremacy. We know how
Majority Whip Tom Delay feels about a woman's right to choose. There
is special place in political hell reserved for them, and one day
they will enjoy it.

No, those who deserve our anger and our contempt are Members of
the House of Representatives like Republican Brian Bilbray, who
claims to serve voters from San Diego in the Congress. This past
November, in the Congressional elections, Bilbray was almost turned
out of office after facing a determined challenge by Gay and Lesbian
Victory Fund candidate, Christine Kehoe. A highly respected member of
the San Diego City Council, the openly lesbian Kehoe came within
three percentage points of sending Bilbray back to his surfboard and
the San Diego waves fulltime. Bilbray's recent actions have his
district's voters wishing she had done just that.

In the days leading up to the impeachment vote in the House of
Representatives, Bilbray milked the public and media speculation on
how he would vote for all it was worth. As a so-called "moderate"
Republican, he claimed to be agonizing over his duty to his
constituents and his duty to the country.

Finally - and with little surprise - he announced at a San Diego
airport press conference that he would, indeed, vote for the articles
of impeachment. With a catch in his throat, he explained how his son
had come to him, concerned that his vote for impeachment would cost
him his seat at the next election - and how he had told his son that
winning or losing was not important.

Please! Let me remind Representative Bilbray - and those of his
colleagues who, through their crocodile tears, have adopted a similar
position - what the Founding Father of his own party once said. In
1859, while speaking in Columbus, Ohio, Abraham Lincoln said, "Public
opinion in this country is everything." Let them heed these words,
let them dwell on these words, let them ponder these words. It is
their hope that, by the year 2000 when, once again, they must face
the judgement of the voter, memories will be short and their vote for
impeachment forgotten. I, on the other hand, think Lincoln knew what
he was talking about.

If the voters in Bilbray's district had known on November 3 what
they know today about his attitude toward impeachment, would he have
been re-elected to Congress? I believe not. Given the outstanding
qualifications of Christine Kehoe, her activist style, her commitment
to the San Diego community and her constituents, I believe the voters
would - and should - have made another, more informed choice. And I
also believe that the voters will not forget.

But the voters did not know on November 3, and so, by re-electing
Brian Bilbray and his ilk, extremist Republicans were able to retain
narrow control of the House of Representatives. Ignoring the strong
voter message of "move on and focus on real issues," the conservative
clique chose to use the dying days of the 105th Congress to move
their radical right agenda forward.

The irony for those of us who are gay and lesbian is that we
understand all too well the fundamental issue at stake here. It is
not whether this is a matter of great constitutional import or
whether the fabric of American justice is being ripped asunder.
Fundamentally, it is that the radical and religious right is driven
crazy by what takes place in our bedrooms.

The radical religious right cannot abide the thought or notion
that there are many of us who: (a) like to do it in other than the
missionary position; (b) who like to do it in other places than just
the bedroom; (c) who like to do it with those of the same sex; and
(d) who like to do it when it's not only dark.

As a result, these right wing zealots - who would bring back pond
dunking, burning and branding if they had half a chance - have
created an atmosphere of intolerance and hatred toward those of us
who believe consensual sex between adults is nobody's business but
our own. However, we try and accommodate this intolerance by
implementing such incongruous policies as "Don't ask, don't tell" in
our military ranks, a policy where the government and the Congress
encourage our servicemen and women to lie about their sexual
activity. Ironic? Hypocritical? I think so.

Those who voted for impeachment may hope their constituents have
short memories. I hope not. I hope we remember the vote our
representative cast on this historic occasion. I hope, as gays and
lesbians who understand what it is like to have our private life held
up to public display, that in the year 2000 we will vote for
candidates who have no interest in the prurient details of our
personal lives but will, instead, get on with the truly important
business of this great Republic.

Over - and out!

David Phelps serves on the Advisory Council of the Gay and Lesbian
Victory Fund.